


we're on our own

by The3rdTrumpeteer



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Sibling Love, kind of?, lup is a badass, taako will get there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 04:14:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18402896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The3rdTrumpeteer/pseuds/The3rdTrumpeteer
Summary: A scene from Lup and Taako's past.





	we're on our own

The half-orc man slammed Taako hard against the side of the wagon, knocking the wind out of him.

"Talk, runt," he growled, pressing a meaty arm against the young elf's throat. "What did you do?"

"Ack- nothing!" Taako choked out, clawing at the arm that was slowly suffocating him. He was already lightheaded, which made it hard to concentrate. " I didn't do anything, Lox!"

“Then what the fuck are these?” Lox reached into his jacket pocket with his free hand and dangled a small pouch in front of Taako’s face. “Fuckin’ nightshade? You and your sister tryin’ to poison the whole caravan and rob us blind?”

“Lox, what are you doing?” Another man, a human named Jack, had come around the corner of the wagon, no doubt having heard the commotion, and he stopped short at the scene in front of him. “Is that one of the new kids?”

“He’s tryin’ to kill us all, Jack,” Lox said with a glare at Taako, whose face was now a much darker shade of blue than usual as he tried--and failed--to take in a breath. “With this.”

He tossed Jack the pouch, and the other man opened it.

“Now, you gonna tell us why you’re doin’ it, runt?” Lox asked. Taako opened his mouth, but he couldn’t get any sound out. He was afraid, but that fear was quickly turning into anger. Was Lox serious right now? He wouldn’t even let Taako explain. So the elf stopped trying to talk and instead raised his right middle finger in a gesture that most beings understood.

His cheek exploded with pain as Lox backhanded him, and Taako swore he could feel a few teeth loosen. He spat out a little blood. Worth it.

“Lox, stop!” Jack was still holding the pouch. “They’re elderberries, man. Are you drunk or something?”

“Elder-” Lox looked confused. He glanced at Taako. “Why the fuck was the runt puttin’ elderberries into anything?”

“It adds flavor, dumbass.” Lup stepped into sight, fire in her eyes and her hands. “Let go of him!” She threw a fireball in Lox’s direction. It was small, but the man dropped Taako, who collapsed to the ground and clutched his bruised throat, and jumped out of the way of the spell.

“We’re goin’, Taako,” Lup said, hurrying to her brother and helping him up. She glared at Lox and Jack. “There’s nothin’ for us here, anyway. Not that there ever was, I guess.”

The men didn’t try to follow the twins as they grabbed their belongings (a single bag of supplies for each) and walked in the opposite direction of the caravan. They had only been traveling with it for a few days, but it looked like it was already time to find another group.

“I’m sorry, Lup,” Taako said as they walked, wincing at how raspy his voice sounded. “I should’a done what you did, but I couldn’t think-”

“It’s fine, Taako,” Lup said. She smiled at him. “It’s not your fault, you know. Lox was trouble; we knew that from the moment we saw his ugly face.”

Taako smiled, too, but that smile quickly faded. “We’re on our own again.”

“No, we’re not,” Lup said. “We have each other.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr: @whatamirolling


End file.
